Wallet card holding and display book and clamp therefor



y 1959 R. E. DINGMAN 2,888,055

WALLET CARD HOLDING AND DISPLAY BOOK AND CLAMP THEREFOR Filed Aug. 5. 1953 v F 2 l 6 1.5 a 13 15 12 l a 12 INVENTOR. Aoawr 1500mm W m av ATTORNEY S.

United States Patent Office Patented May 26, 1959 WALLET CARD HOLDING'AND DISPLAY BOOK AND CLAMP THEREFOR Robert E. Dingman, Indiana, Pa.

Application August 3, 1953, Serial No. 371,993

1 Claim. (Cl. 150-39) This invention relates to a card holding and display book of the type forming a part of a wallet and which is usually removably connected to the wallet,

and to a clamp for use with such a book.

Such a book ordinarily includes a cover made of flexible material and having a fold line and panels extending oppositely from the fold line so that the panels fold together. This cover encloses a plurality of card holding and display leaf sets each having a flexible hinge strip made of flexible material and two envelopes made of flexible transparent material and extending oppositely from the hinge strip. The latter has a fold line transverse to the envelopes so that the envelopes fold together in each set. The sets are shaped to superimpose on the cover, with the respective fold lines registered together, to form a book. The various fold lines are fastened together so that the leaf sets and cover form a unit.

It is desirable to fasten the leaf sets to the cover so that the leaf sets may be removed and reinstalled easily.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a book of the described type and having a device for fastening the leaf sets to the cover in aremovable manner, with the device being inexpensive to make and install, attractive in appearance, positive in operation, and able to withstand the crushing and bending stresses to which it is apt to be subjected when the book is in use in a wallet carried in the pocket of the user. Another object is to provide the described kind of device in a form which is free from pivot pins, springs and the like which run up the manufacturing cost and are apt to cause trouble during the service life of the device.

A specific example of the invention is illustrated by the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a wallet incorporating the described kind of book;

Fig. 2 is a cross section through the book, showing the device holding the leaf sets to the cover;

Fig. 3 is the same as Fig. 2 excepting that it shows the action of the device as it is released; and

Fig. 4 is a cross section taken on the line 4-4 in Fig. 2.

7 layer 2 forming a passageway 3. The wallet is made of relatively soft and flexible wallet leather.

The card holding and display book, provided for this wallet, includes a cover made of soft and flexible wallet leather and having a central fold line portion 4, through which Figs. 2 and 3 are taken, and panels 5 and 6 extending oppositely from this fold line so that the panels fold together. The panel 6 is made long enough to form a reversely folding flap end and this panel is inserted through the passageway 3 so that when the panels 5 and 6 are folded together with the flap end of the panel 6 reversely folded over the outside of the panel 5 the book is connected to the wallet. The panel 6 is removable from the passageway 3 so that the book may be removed.

The plurality of card holding and display leaf sets each have the flexible hinge strip 7, made of soft flexible wallet leather, and two envelopes 8 made of transparent material and extending oppositely from the hinge strip 7. Each hinge strip has a fold line 9 transverse to the envelopes so that the envelopes fold together in each set. All of the corresponding parts of the leaf sets are identical and are given similar numerals. The sets are shaped to superimpose on the cover, with the respective fold lines registered together, to form a book, all as is shown by Fig. 1.

Mutually registered holes 10 are formed through all of the respective fold lines 4 and 9 at locations spaced apart longitudinally respecting the fold lines.

A length of springy metal has a substantially straight clamp portion-11 registered with the books fold lines, and latch end portions 12 extending substantially at right angles from the clamp portion 11 and which are inserted through the holes 10 in the various fold lines. A substantially rigid channel bar 13, formed fromsheet metal, is registered with the fold lines with its open side facing the clamp portion 11, and this channel has 'holes 14 formed in its web and through which the end portions 12 are inserted. The various cover and leaf set fold line portions are sandwiched between the clamp portion and the channel bar, whereby the leaf sets are fastened to the cover.

, The end portions are flat and arranged in a plane extending longitudinally to the clamp portion 11, and this clamp portion is flat and arranged in a plane parallel to the channel bars web, so that this plane is angularly related to a plane extending through both of the parts 11 and 13. Ratchet teeth 15 are formed in the end portions 12 in their mutually facing edges and pointing to engage the channel bars web to prevent withdrawal of these end portions 12. However, outwardly directed force applied to the end portions near to their ends, as represented by the arrows in Fig. 3, springs the clamp portion 11 inwardly so that this clamp portion bows or springs inwardly and angles the end portions 12 apart to release the ratchet teeth 15 from the channel bars web. This permits the clamp portion 11 and the channel bar to be completely separated so that the leaf sets may be released.

A plurality of the teeth 15 is provided on each of the end portions 12 so that the clamp portion 11 may be positioned at various distances from the end edges of the flanges of the channel bar 13. This permits tightening of the two parts when only a few leaf sets are used, while at the same time accommodating a relatively large number of leaf sets when this is desired.

The ends of the end portions 12 are chamfered, sloped or rounded, as at 16, in the direction of the ratchet teeth. These shaped ends guide themselves into the channel bar web holes 14 when the ends are reinserted therein. The material from which the clamp portion 11 is made is elastically deformable and, when the end portions are reinserted, automatically reassumes its shape as shown by Fig. 2.

The operation of the device has been described in connection with its description by the foregoing.

It should be noted that the connection is established without using pivoted members and that tightness is attained, regardless of the number of leaf sets used, without requiring the use of separate springs and the like. Due to the rigidity of the channel bar and the elastic flexibility of the flat part 11 the device is able to withstand the crushing and bending stress it receives when in use in a persons pocket, it being remembered that the Wallet parts are all flexible.

Although the clamp incorporated by the book may be applied with the channel bar on the outside of the book, the arrangement illustrated is preferred from both the appearance and operational viewpoints.

The clamping member having the parts 11 and 12 may be formed from fiat metal. The portion 11 is fiat in the direction of its bowing or flexing and therefore relatively easily flexed when the ends of the portions 12 are forced apart. This may be done by squeezing the portions 12 outwardly apart with finger pressure. The end portions 12 are rigid to such force because they are flat and arranged in edgewise fashion in the direction of such force. This fiat shape also permits the formation of relatively deep ratchet teeth.

If desired, the outside of the clamp portion 11 may be transversely convex, as an aid to appearance. The two separable parts may be made of any suitable material, remembering that at least the portion 11 must be flexible.

This application is a continuation-in-part of abandoned application Serial 335,279, filed by this applicant on February 5, 1953, entitled Card Holding and Display Book for a Walle I claim:

In a card holding and display book including a flexible cover having panels and a fold line, and a plurality of sets of flexible transparent envelopes each having a flexible hinge strip having a fold line, said sets being selectively superimposed on said cover with all of said lines mutually registered and said cover and strips having mutually registered holes formed therethrough in registration with said lines and adjacent to each end thereof; a device for removably fastening said leaf sets to said cover and comprising a length of springy metal having a substantially straight clamp portion registered with said lines and located on one side thereof and having latch end portions extending substantially at right angles from said clamp portion and which are inserted through said holes, and a substantially rigid channel bar registered with said lines and located on the other side thereof and having holes formed through its web in registration with said cover and binge strip holes and through which Web holes said latch end portions are inserted, said latch end portions being fiat and arranged in a plane extending longitudinally with respect to said clamp portion and said hinge lines, and said clamp portion being fiat and arranged in a plane substantially parallel to said channel bars web and to said hinge lines, said latch end portions having ratchet teeth formed in their mutually facing edge portions to engage said channel bars web to prevent withdrawal of said latch end portions, said holes formed in said channel bars web being large enough to permit disengagement of said teeth when said latch end portions are forced outwardly apart and said flat clamp portion being elastically bowable under the application of finger pressure to thusly force apart said latch end portions, said channel bar terminating adjacent to said holes and latch end portions.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 257,882 McFarland May 16,1882

807,383 Johnson Dec. 12, 1905 1,359,606 Knoch Nov. 23, 1920, 1,455,000 Harris May 15, 1923 2,017,342 Dawson Oct. 15, 1935 2,127,498 Westphal Aug. 23, 1938 2,275,683 Rutledge Mar. 10, 1942 2,390,751 Tinnerman Dec. 11, 1945 2,634,777 Berger Apr. 14, 1953 2,705,038 Broughton Mar. 29, 1955 

